Member of Parliament Dexter Nduna has been dragged to court for illegal mining.
The Chegutu West MP, 49, of Plot 1 and 2 Drummond farm,
Chegutu and his accomplices Superintendent Wonder Chisikwa, 50, Officer in
Charge Crime and Operations, Acting Officer Commanding Chegutu District, Vengai
Musengi, (39) of Plot 13 Ardlui farm, Bonzim, Tatenda Gwinji, (30) Chegutu
council district chairperson of 13 Hillroad, Concession, Chegutu, Tawanda
Marufu, (32)of 7205 East View, Chegutu and Nyasha Nyikadzino, (33) of 27440,
Chegutu, appeared before Chinhoyi Regional magistrate, Stanley Mambanje charged with one count of
prospecting for minerals without a permit or licence.
The case was postponed to December 4 for trial
continuation. Prosecuting, Herald Matura, told the court that on November 12,
2019, Nduna, Chisikwa, Musengi and Gwinji met at ZRP Chegutu district
headquarters where they held a meeting and hatched a plan to extract mineral
ore from David Whitehead Company waste deposit tanks where there was a pit
which had been dug by illegal miners who were prospecting for gold.
In their meeting, the accused people allegedly agreed to
look for a JCB to extract the mineral ore and Gwinji opted to approach Chegutu
rural district council requesting for the services of a JCB.
The court heard that the following day, Nduna, decided to
hire a JCB from Yellow Metal Tours Company, Kadoma, of which he paid US$495
through Marufu.
On November 13, at around 7:30am, Chisikwa went to David
Whitehead Company waste deposit tanks pit and told police officers who were
guarding the site being led by Sergeant William Gwemende that a JCB was coming
to backfill the pit.
Chisikwa returned to the police station and while at his
office, he phoned Gwemende on his mobile phone and informed him that Nduna, was
coming to the site to have an appreciation of the site and was to brief him.
It is said, a few minutes later, Nduna arrived at the site in
the company of Musengi and was briefed by Gwemende and he got an appreciation
of the pit.
He also assured Gwemende that a JCB was coming to backfill
the pit. At 8:30am, a JCB from Yellow Metal Tours Company Kadoma, which was
being operated by Stanley Sibanda arrived at the site being led by Marufu.
The JCB operated for about three hours extracting ore and
heaping it to the side of the pit and Musengi ordered Marufu to instruct the
JCB operator to load mineral ore into vehicles, which had come to the site. Herald
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